the red X

I'll be honest - I don't think I've read a blog post in probably 6 months.  Maybe more.  I used to read them religiously, but like so many other things, it went by the wayside.

After hours of college football today, I started getting a little restless.  Checked Facebook.  Zulily.  Rue La La.  Buzzfeed.  I went back to Facebook and even watched some of the links to videos/and articles that I usually scroll through.

I got around to entering my brother-in-law for a Dr. Pepper scholarship.  As I double-checked my gmail account to make sure I had his email address entered accurately, I came across a blog comment that I hadn't "published" yet. Which brought me to my blog, and here I am.

One of the blogs I used to follow closely was Enjoying the Small Things.  If you've never read the birth story of her beautiful girl Nella, you should.  I'll wait.  Her post today provided me with enough inspiration to actually write a post.  Shocking, I know.

You all know that I find beauty in the ordinary.  I'm not one to strive for greatness, or originality, or to ruffle feathers. I like ordinary.  I also like being content.  I don't have a 5 year plan.  I find comfort in what I have today and I don't worry about what is up next. 

But sometimes I feel guilty and/or conflicted for this.  Like relishing in the ordinary is somehow wasting gifts that I've been giving or holding me back from something bigger and better.  That being content means I don't have vision and that I've grown complacent.  That I'm either not brave enough or that I'm too uninspired to go forth and do great things.  That I've settled.  To be fair, I think that there is probably an element of truth to all of that. But not enough truth to warrant any negative self-talk or self-doubt.

So when Kelle posted this quote, it really spoke to me for some reason: 

"No one longs for what he or she already has, and yet the accumulated insight of those wise about the spiritual life suggests that the reason so many of us cannot see the red X that marks the spot is because we are standing on it. The treasure we seek requires no lengthy expedition, no expensive equipment, no superior aptitude or special company. All we lack is the willingness to imagine that we already have everything we need. The only thing missing is our consent to be where we are." 

~Barbara Brown Taylor, An Altar in the World

I think this quote can kind of be twisted and interpreted for whatever personal need the reader may hold.  I don't feel lost or unfulfilled, which is probably the intended meaning.  But I do like the idea that I've already found the red X that marks the spot.  That I'm on it.  That I have "permission" to be okay to be happy with where I am and what I have.  Basically

That frees me up to go out and do ordinary things to help other people feel content.  Sounds like a win-win to me.  Cheers to 2015!